


Manipulation

by series_freak



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Coma, Coming Out, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fear, Fear of Death, Horror, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Manipulation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Serious Injuries, They're a Family, crash, relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:46:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29201562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/series_freak/pseuds/series_freak
Summary: What if one day will happen something serious, which concerns and involves all drivers? How would they react? And how could this change everyone's life?Someone manipulated the cars. With enormous consequences for the Formula One drivers.A long term project. It takes place at Silverstone 2020, no Covid-19 excists here. English is not my first language. I would be happy about criticism, positive and negative. I'll try to upfate frequently.Hope you like it :)
Relationships: Alexander Albon/George Russell, Antonio Giovinazzi/Kimi Räikkönen, Charles Leclerc/Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo/Max Verstappen, Lando Norris/Carlos Sainz Jr, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Comments: 2
Kudos: 100





	1. Crash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How everything changed...

“Raaaace Daaaaay!”, Lando laughs, walking to his cabinet with Carlos.

His boyfriend gives him a smile and nods.

“Yeah, ready to hit the track?”

“Absolutely! Let’s rock it, Silverstone!”

Not less on fire are the other drivers. Silverstone, a beautiful track everyone is looking forward to.

“Ready mate?”, George asks Nicholas.

“Yeah, it’s a wonderful day. Good luck my friend, but don’t think I’ll make it easy for you.”

Alex walks over, giving George a quick kiss on his forehead, saying see you later. The Williams drivers bumps their fists. Nicholas doesn’t know yet, that he should remember this smile pretty good.

“Wish you a safe drive Babe.”, Daniel says goodbye to Max.

Carlos gives Lando’s helmet a friendly punch, Lance looks one more time over to Sergio. Valtteri winks at Lewis and Antonio gives Kimi one more hug. No one knows that these actions could set their heads on fire one time. Romain ruffles Kevin’s hair, aware of the fact that this annoys him.

“Good luck Dany.”

One last smile between the AlphaTauri drivers. Esteban makes one last joke for his teammate.

“Don’t do any stupid things.”, Sebastian waves to his fiancé.

Charles can only chuckle. There’re no worries. The sun is shining, the track is dry, no bad hints. Everyone is only focusing on the race ahead of them. It starts. Go. No one makes a mistake to the start up line. Only a few more seconds. Five. Four. Three. Two. One. Go! No crash, a battle for P1, Lewis makes it, followed by Valtteri, Max and surprisingly Alex. 52 laps pure suspension. The first 17 laps are safe, nothing bad happens. Then, Nicholas and Kimi have to retire sadly, both with engine problems.

“You’re out to?”, Kimi comes over.

It’s not surprising at all, they get along with each other quite well.

“Yeah, some engine problems.”

“Me too. Can happen.”

They sit down at the side of the Pit Lane, talking about Formula One and the current race. No negative signs.

“Alex you’re too fast, turn 6 is coming!”

The two drivers turn around. They give each other a questioning look.

“Alex! Watch out!”

But it’s too late. The two can see it on the display in the garage behind them. Without slowing down, Alex crashes into the wall. Red flags. But now everything just starts. It’s getting incredible loud in all boxes. Kimi and Nicholas run back to their garages, seeing the drama that is happening outside. Somehow, no driver is able to hit the brakes. Nicholas eyes widen.

Lewis and Valtteri crash into each other in Turn 15. Sebastian’s car crashes into a wall. But the most dramatic scenario is in Turn 13. Who knows how many cars are there? Kimi can only notice some colours. Red, Pink, White, Orange, Yellow, Whine Red-

“Antonio!”

“George!”

“GO! They need our help!”

\----------

Meanwhile, Carlos is able to get out of his car. Luckily, he has recognized that his brakes are not working so he didn’t go faster anymore. He stands on a hill of broken cars, looking around with fear. The first one he sees is Daniel, who tries to get rid of the belts.

“Wait, stay calm, I’ll help you!”

Together they can make it.

“Lando!”

The Spaniard wants to help his boyfriend but suddenly gets pulled back. Daniel pulls him away, behind the border and pushes him to the ground. Right in time. It makes a loud sound, as another car crashes into the others. Carlos eyes widen. Getting up, they can see it was Esteban. Into Number 4.

“LANDO!”

\----------

Charles can barely feel something. His whole body is numb. Slowly, he can move. Someone grabs him under his arms and pulls him out. It’s Kimi.

“Can you walk?”

“I-I don’t know…”

“Come, I’ll support you.”

With the strong arm holding him, Charles can walk to the ambulance. He still isn’t able to understand what happened. The last thing he remembers is how a car appears in front of him. Was it Pink? He guesses so.

\----------

Nicholas holds George’s head. He doesn’t answer his questions but is breathing.

“Come on boy. Wake up George, please.”

He only can whisper, afraid of his own voice. Finally, some paramedics are there to help him.

“Hospital! Now!”

Everything is a mess. Nicholas can’t help here anymore, so he looks around, spotting Kimi who helps Charles to get to the ambulance. Carlos is sitting at the side, the car with his boyfriend already left. Same counts for Lance, currently they’re getting George and Checo ready for the drive. He slowly makes his way to the McLaren driver, joining him on the ground.

“Hey.”

“H-Hi…”

He lays an arm around Carlos’s shoulders and the elder just starts crying. Who cares that they barely talk? They just need some support. Someone they can rely on. Kimi comes over, laying his head on the Spaniard’s free shoulder, not saying or doing anything.

\----------

Daniel holds Esteban in his arms patiently, just as the one man told him to. They need to wait for the next ambulance and Esteban has to get stabilised. Daniel cries silently, Max is already on the way to the hospital.

“Maxy…Este…guys don’t leave me…come on, you two are fighters.”

He looks around, hoping for some support. His eyes lay on the group of the three drivers he only knows currently who has no further injuries. He’s not alone here. They have to handle this all together.

\----------

Valtteri cuts Lewis’s belts and takes off his helmet. His teammate doesn’t respond to his questions.

“Lewis! Man talk to me!”

No answer. He’s too weak to pull him out of the car, he just can hold his face. Valtteri denies the urge to cry, there is no time. He needs to do his best until the paramedics are here. He continues talking, hoping his teammate will hear him.

“Don’t give up, fight for it. Like you always do. I’m here, come on, don’t give up!”

Finally help is coming. He has to leave Lewis to them. There’s nothing much he can do for now. Just hoping everything will be okay.

\----------

Valtteri arrives at the Pit Lane as the first one. He ignores everyone, just feeling the fear that he’s the only one with no injuries. No, he’s not. There are Daniel, Kimi, Carlos, Charles and Nicholas. He runs towards them, pulling them into a hug all together.

“Oh god guys, at least you’re okay. Thanks god…thanks god…”

They stay silent, trying to understand fully what happened. But they can’t. Charles starts to tremble, clinging onto Nicholas.

“Seb…Seb…Seb…”, he repeats permanently.

“He’ll be okay, for sure.”, the Williams driver tries to calm him down.

“What about the others?”, Valtteri asks hopefully.

Although he knows the answer.

“They’re all on their ways to the hospital. Both McLaren, Renault and RacingPoint Cars crashed in corner 13, additionally Max, George and Antonio. Don’t know where the others lost control.”, Daniel tries to sound normal.

"Lewis and I crashed in corner 15.”

“Nicholas and I saw that Seb landed in a wall, but no clue where, Alex was Turn 6. And we don’t know what’s with Kevin, Romain, Daniil and Pierre.”, Kimi adds with an extremely shaky voice.

“Guys? You can go to the hospital now. We got a big cap for you, so you don’t need to separate.”, a Haas mechanics joins their conversation.

They nod and find their way through the paddock. Nicholas nearly has to carry Charles, the young driver not being able to control his body. The drive is quiet, apart from some sobs and quiet cries.

“Charles, we’re there, let’s go.”

“I-I can’t…I can’t move…”, he cries.

Nicholas gives him a knowingly nod and offers his back to the Monegasque.

“I’ll carry you then.”

Thankfully, Charles clings onto him, hiding his face in his friend’s shoulder. They make their way through the floors, arriving at a separated part of the building. A nurse greets them.

“I can’t tell you exactly which driver is in which room, some needed to go to the OP. Rooms 233 and 238 are empty. We separated these rooms from the rest of the building, wait here until one colleague will give you a card, so you will be able to get through the door.”

“Thank you so much Miss.”, Daniel thanks her.

Carefully they open the first door. Sebastian’s room. Charles jumps on the ground, stumbling to the bed.

“Seb…Seb no…”

Many hoses and cables are surrounding the German. He doesn’t look good. A sheet of paper lays on the tiny desk.

“He’s in a coma.”, Kimi whispers, nevertheless everyone can hear him.

Charles just cries even more, Nicholas trying to calm him down.

“I’ll stay with him. You can go and look for the others. Just tell me in which room I can look for George later.”

The group nods thankfully and makes their way through the rooms. Every single scenario breaks their hearts over and over again. In the room next to Seb, they find Esteban. His status looks even worse. Dan’s eyes start watering, he walks over to the bed and stares at his teammate.

“Bro…you can’t be serious…we just started to work together; you can’t leave me behind like this…”

A strong hand grabs his shoulder firmly, the pressure giving the taller man support. The tattooed arm reveals that it’s Kimi. The Finnian doesn’t look at him, his eyes are clued to the man in front of them.

“You wanna stay here?”

“No…I’ll come back later, need to see Maxy…”

The group leaves. In the fourth room they find the RacingPoint drivers and Carlos’ teammate. The Spaniard stumbles to Lando, sinking to the ground and grabs the tiny hand gently. A hose is stuck in his hand.

“Hey Cabrón…”

His voice is stuck in his throat, quiet and low. Like no one else is allowed to hear him.

“I’m here now…everything is gonna be alright…I’m here, you’re not alone…”

He doesn’t notice that his friends leave, after they’ve checked on their other two friends carefully. The next door keeps Lewis, Kevin and Romain behind it. Valtteri stays calm, slowly walking over to his mate and sits down next to him on the bed. He behaves more like Lewis is just sleeping, Dan thinks. Compared to Este and Seb, at least the Haas drivers look okay in a way. Yes, they need to be artificially ventilated, but the mess is less around them.

“We’ll look after you later.”, Kimi says, already standing in the doorway.

Valtteri nods to his landman, a weak smile on his lips. Only two more rooms to go. After opening the door, they face Antonio, George and Alexander. As calm as Valtteri was, Dan is pretty sure Kimi can top this. The way he looks at his mate, as he knows he’ll get up any second and leave the hospital with him. The Aussie looks over to their two rookie friends. It breaks his heart, seeing the two separated like this. He promises them silently, that he will close the gap between them as soon as possible. He always cared about Alex, since he spent a lot of time with Maxy at the RedBull garages. Like Nicholas cares about George. They would protect them, whatever it needs to do.

“Kimi? I’ll go to Max. He has to be in the next room.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll go to Nicholas and tell him-”

“No, stay here. I want to look after Este after all, I can take a look into Seb’s room and talk to Nicky.”

“Alright. Thanks mate.”

Finally, Daniel can see and touch his boyfriend. The Dutch lays there and Dan tries to understand how the two Finnian can act like their friends are sleeping, for him, Maxy looks like he’s dead. He pushes this thought away, kneeling next to the bed and slowly caress the small hand.

“Hey Baby. I finally found you. You don’t need to be afraid; Dan will take care of you.”

He turns around, facing the two beds with the AlphaTauri drivers. Only Daniil needs to get artificially ventilated, but Pierre is in a bad shape. He sighs shakingly. It still feels like a nightmare, but he knows it isn’t. This is reality, happening in front of them and no one can tell them how to handle everything. He spends a half of an hour with his boyfriend, then leaving to look after the second Renault driver again.

“You better come back or I’ll kick your ass.”, Daniel mumbles, knowing too well that Esteban would’ve laughed about it.

After a while, he goes back to room 231.

“Nicholas? You can go to George. Room 236.”

The Williams driver lifts his head up, looking released at Dan. In his lap, Charles is sleeping.

“He was so exhausted from crying. Can you help me?”

The Monegasque isn’t heavy at all. The Aussi lifts the smaller boy up and carries him to the free bed next to his boyfriend. Nicholas thanks him and leaves, hurrying up to his teammate. Charles’s cheeks are still shiny, his lips pressed together. Although this situation is hard for everyone, they know Charles is suffering the most. He lost two important persons in his life, followed by trust issues as his girlfriend broke up with him. Seb was there to catch him, giving him all time he needed and showing him love again. Seb is someone who is always able to approach Charles, no matter in which mental state he currently is. Loosing him would’ve the same meaning as dying for Charles.

“Don’t worry. Sebastian is a fighter; he knows you need him. He will wake up and then everything will be alright.”, Daniel whispers softly, stroking the brown hair.

Since he hasn’t took a look at the clock, he can’t tell after what time span Nicholas comes back.

“Kimi will have an eye on them. I’ll stay with Charles for now. How is he?”

“He hasn’t woken up yet. Thank you so much for taking care of him.”

They stare each other for a while, no need of words. Their looks are enough to communicate, to understand the pain both are feeling right now. They know they’re not alone; they don’t have to handle everything by themselves. As Daniel gets up, Nicholas hugs him. He needs the physical contact to stay calm. The Aussie immediately wraps his arms lazy around the taller driver. No words, no tears, just the physical contact and the feeling of comfort.

“They will be okay, right? They will survive, won’t them?” Nicholas whispers into Daniel’s neck.

“Yes…they will. I’m sure, 100%.”

But both know, it’s a lie. No one knows, how this will end. It’s a helpless try to stay positive. They pull away, smile and Dan leaves, going to Max. This is a nightmare. This is hell. But they need to survive. Otherwise, Formula 1 won’t be same anymore.


	2. First Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their first night in the hospital. They have no expectations. But what should they prepare for anyway?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll include the following graphic at the beginning of each new chapter. It's supposed to help you to understand and follow the allocation of the drivers to the rooms better.

All six healthy drivers got their card. Now, they’re allowed to come and leave whenever they want. But in the first night, no one even think about leaving the side of his beloved ones. It’s already 11pm. Carlos sits on the ground, his back leans against Lando’s bed and thinks about their conversation with the doctor.

“We had to put them all in a coma. Vettel, Ocon and Gasly were already in the operation room. To be honest, they’re in a bad shape but no one’s life is in danger urgently. Nevertheless, we have to check on them every 2 hours.”

“Are we allowed to stay over the nights?”, Kimi had asked.

“Yes, you are. In every room is at least one bed free for someone.”

“Why are Seb and Este separated?”, a question from Charles followed.

“We’re really worried about these two. In an emergency, we need to act fast and isolate them. An empty room makes it easier for us.”

It wasn’t an answer Charles needed to hear.

“You can also use the two free rooms if you want to. This part is only for these patients.”

As no one had any further questions, the doctor left. Luckily, Nicholas were fast enough to catch Charles before he collapsed to the ground.

A knock at the door interrupts Carlos’ thoughts. It’s Valtteri.

“Can’t sleep either?”, he asks and sits down next to him.

“No.”, the Spaniard answers with a long sigh, “I guess no one can. How is Lewis?”

“Okay? I think? No mature injuries visible. But they don’t know when he’ll wake up.”

“What about Romain and Kevin?”

“Both are stable.”

Carlos nods and sighs again. Valtteri moves closer and allows him to lean his head against his shoulder.

“You should try to sleep, Carlos. We all need to rest after what happened.”

“I don’t know if I can. I want to look after Lando.”

“I understand but still. Try it later, yeah?”

“Okay. I will.”

Valtteri gets up. Before he leaves, he checks on the two RacingPoint drivers.

“You two get well soon too, okay? Don’t want to imagine to lose one of you.”, he mumbles.

It’s he first time the Spaniard smiles a bit.

\---------

Kimi looks out of the window. The moon shines through it, highlighting Antonio’s pale skin. He’s worried about his young teammate. They know each other for some years now, due to Ferrari and Alfa Romeo. But the Iceman never thought he would care about him this much one day. Antonio’s hands are cold and he holds them tightly. From time to time, his eyes wander over to Alex and George. Hopefully they can recover fast. At first, Kimi didn’t understand how they could be this clingy. But now, seeing them separated, he may start to understand. They need each other.

“Kimi?”

He turns to the door. Nicholas.

“Hey what are you doing here?”

“Checking on George.”

The Canadian caresses the cold cheek. His look is worried. Although he joined F1 this year, he’s still older and knows both drivers from his former Formula way. In F2, Alex was his teammate. He walks over to the Thai, ruffling softly his hair.

“Don’t let me wait too long you two. Otherwise, I’ll get really mad.”

It’s a try to stay calm, to sound normal. Nicholas walks to the window and leans against it, facing Kimi now.

“How are you?”

“Good.”

The Williams driver frowns.

“It’ll be okay.”, Kimi adds.

Nicholas understands.

“Don’t bother to talk. I know it’s not your cup of tea but don’t forget that this is something unnormal. We’re all done with our nerves. You’re not alone.”

He pats the Finn’s shoulder and leaves. Kimi tightens his grip around Antonio’s hands.

“I know I’m not alone…but as long as he doesn’t wake up, I’ll feel like I am.”

\----------

Daniel leans with his back against Max’s bed. He still hasn’t understood what happened. Why it happened. How it happened. He only knows that his friends are suffering, physically and mentally. Max breaths slowly above him, the medical devices buzz and beep. It feels unreal. Daniel looks down at his own hands and pinches himself. No, not a dream. He decides to check on Esteban. Nothing changed, of course, what has he expected? The French looks as pale as three hours before, eyes closed.

“Maxy and you better come back.”, Daniel whispers and squeezes the bigger but slim hand softly.

“Oh. Daniel.”

Nicholas appears behind him.

“I looked after Kimi and needed to see how Este is. Thought you are with Max?”

“Yeah, but I also want to take care of my teammate.”

The Canadian nods knowingly and looks down to the bed.

“I’m scared. We saw each other from time to time in the paddock last year. It was always fun to chat with him.”

“He’s a really cool guy, I liked him the minute I saw him. I was looking forward to our season together…”

The Australian swallows and relaxes a bit under the touch of the other man, as he starts caressing his back.

“It’s alright. I imagined my debut season differently too. They’ll be okay. We have to believe.”

“You’re right. How is Charles?”

“Sleeping. He was extremely tired. It’s the best way for him to forget the stress for some hours.”

“For us too. Thank you for having an eye on him. Good to know that there’s someone catching him. He’ll need some time but as soon as he gets better, he’ll be mentally very strong. That’s something I learned about Charles.”

“At least this time I’ll stay with him, don’t worry.”

Daniel turns to Nicholas and smiles weakly.

“Go back and try to get some sleep.”

“I will. You too.”

He nods, squeezes the Canadian’s shoulder and leaves. Back in Room 237, he crawls under the covers of the free bed, facing Max’s ones.

“Dan is here, Baby. I won’t leave.”

\----------

In the middle of the night, Charles wakes up by some noises. But it’s only a nurse checking Sebastian’s data. After she has left, the Monegasque gets up and sits down next to the German, holding his hand carefully.

“You better get well as soon as possible, you hear me?”

It’s his attempt to sound confident. In his head, Seb laughs and kisses his forehead.

_“I will, don’t worry.”_

“Good. I love you…Idiot…”

_“I love you too, my favourite boy.”_

Charles starts crying. He would give everything just to hear this from his boyfriend. He needs him in his life. He can’t go. He simply can’t. Too afraid to hurt the man, Charles stays like he is, although he wants to snuggle close to him. It takes a lot of strength to slide down and walk back to his own bed. But as soon as he lays there, he drifts back into a peaceful sleep.

\----------

Valtteri flinches. He looks around, panic rising in his body. It fades away as his eyes fall on Lewis. It was just a nightmare. Quickly, he gets up and walks to his teammate.

“Hey. Just had a nightmare…”

He sits down, looking at Lewis with teary eyes.

“You died…but please…don’t. I could never forgive God for it. Stay here. By my side…”

Silent tears roll down his cheeks. The Brit means a lot to him. Valtteri stays there, until his head falls onto the other’s chest.

\----------

The first morning. No one had a good night. Carlos slept on the floor, Valtteri’s back aches like hell, Kimi and Nicholas couldn’t sleep at all.

“Morning Charles. How are you?”, the Canadian yawns.

His eye bags are dark, his eyes tiny. Nevertheless, he smiles.

“I don’t know. You look like you haven’t rest at all?”

“Couldn’t. But I’m okay. Come, let’s get something to eat.”

But the Monegasque doesn’t want to leave the room, instead he asks Nicholas if he can bring something. Of course, he can. In the hallway are small roller carriages. He bumps into Daniel.

“Dan. Morning.”

“Jesus, Nicky, you look horrible.”

“I know.”, Nicholas sighs and yawns.

“No sleep too?”, Kimi joins the conversation.

He looks as tired as the Williams driver.

“I guess either we couldn’t sleep or we had a bad night.”, Valtteri appears with Carlos behind his back.

“Second one for me.”, the Spaniard murmurs.

The five drivers look at each other. They feel lost and helpless. And it was only one night. No one can tell them how long they have to stay strong. No one knows how many nights they’ll spend here. No one knows how long they’ll be able to stand the pressure. No. One. Everyone grabs something to eat and leaves to his room where he came from.


	3. First Days

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first days are passing by. The unspoken fear continues...

As expected, the following days get harder and harder. For Daniel, the nights are getting longer and longer. He barely rests. Always switching between Max’s room and Esteban’s. He feels responsible for both. As a boyfriend, friend and teammate. He feels bad for the French that he is the whole time alone in his room, but Max is obviously his priority and at least he knows, Esteban would completely understand it. Currently, the Australian sits with his back at the wall under the huge window in room 232. It’s 2am in the morning of Day4. Music sounds through his earplugs.

_  
Travel back, down that road  
Will you come back?  
No one knows  
I realize  
It was only just a dream_

A beautiful dream, broken into pieces like a mirror. Daniel is kinda surprised that he has still tears left, although he cried nearly non stop the last nights. How horrible it must had felt for Charles back then. Max means the world to him, but losing two members of your family…who are in general closer to you than any friends…he doesn’t want to think about it. But his thoughts can’t get stopped. By no one…

\----------

The TV runs in the background, but no one pays attention. Nicholas’ eyes are clued to his phone, Charles sits next to Sebastian, holding his hand. He’s mumbling things Nicholas can’t understand. He looks up. The Monegasque talks to his boyfriend, non stop. It’s heart breaking.

“Charles?”, the Canadian asks carefully.

The man turns to him.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just telling Seb how I became a Racing Driver.”

He sounds surprisingly calm and turns back with a smile, continuing the story. ‘Daniel seems to be right.’, Nicholas thinks. Charles only needs some time and support but he’ll be able to handle it by his own. The clock hits 12am of Day 4. A nurse enters the room for checking their friend’s data. She doesn’t look happy.

“How is he?”. Charles asks worried.

“I’m really sorry but he doesn’t get better. We expected his body to slowly recover, but so har his counters haven’t changed at all.”

He nods and waits patiently until she has left. Immediately, Nicholas gets up and pulls the younger driver into a tight hug as he silently breaks down.

\----------

Carlos helps two nurses to change Lance’s position. It’s supposed to relieve his injured leg, which heals faster than expected. And he can breathe on his own now. A development Carlos is happy about. His boyfriend’s data haven’t changed yet. At least they didn’t get worse. The women have left as someone else knocks at the door.

“Yeah?”

Valtteri enters the room.

“Hey. How are you?”. He asks-

Carlos shrugs with his shoulders and looks down to Lando.

“How are his data.”

“Same like before.”

“Nothing changed?”

“Nothing.”

The Finn nods and caresses his friend’s back, who relaxes under the touch.

“What about Lewis?”

“Slowly getting better. The tables won’t turn hopefully.”

Hope. That’s everything they have left. It’s hard to believe in anything.

“Anyway…I heard Toto was here?”

“Yes, he left around 6pm.”

“Do they already know what happened?”

“They’re still trying to find the reason why our brakes failed. It’s a mystery and Toto seemed very worried. They’re even discussing the possibility…of a conscious manipulation.”

“In other words, someone tried to kill us?”

The two drivers jump in surprise and look to the door.

“Jesus Kimi! You scared us to death!”, Carlos groans.

“I’m sorry.”

“But he’s right. On other words it’s exactly what Toto said.”

“But who and why?”, the Spaniard looks confused.

“If we think about this now it’ll be senseless. It can’t help our friends.”, Kimi answers.

“And there’re no proves yet. Let’s wait, maybe they’ll find the technical issue soon.”, Valtteri adds.

“Anyway, why are _you_ here?”, he turns to the Iceman after a while.

“Wanted to check on everyone. How are Sergio and Lance?”, Kimi wants to know and walks over to the Mexican.

“Lance got better, but Checo not. If his data get worse like this, it’ll get critical.”, Carlos informs.

“I’m sure he’ll make it.”, the older mumbles.

After some more minutes, he leaves.

“Maybe I’ve heard it wrong, but has he called us friends?”, Carlos asks in disbelief.

“Yeah, I’m also surprised that he checks on everyone.”

“Catastrophes can change people.”

They stay silent before Valtteri leaves with a Good Night to Lewis.

\-----------

Room 232 lays in the dark. Only moonshine reveals the pale man in one of the beds. The only sounds you can hear come from the gadgets. The door gets open quietly. Someone stands in the door ways.

“Hey. Esteban.”, a deep voice breaks the silence.

The door gets closed and the person walks slowly over to the patient. A hand runs through the French’s hair, over the cold cheek to the cold hand, which gets grabbed gently.

“I heard your data are getting worse. Stay strong. Keep fighting. You’re not alone. We’re here. I’m here.”

Silence overcomes the room once more, for over 30 minutes. The person doesn’t move a single muscle.

“I never thought that I would care about you this much.”

With these words, he leaves. The clock hits midnight. Day 5 is here.

\----------

Their routines are the same over days. Checking on the others, talking about their own mental states, watching TV, listening to music, going for a walk, reading…their teams help them with fresh clothes, towels and other things you need. Some calls from their families. But no one thinks about leaving the hospital for longer than a few hours. They don’t want to miss a second, they can’t leave their friends and lovers alone.

Day 7, one week is over. After lunch, five drivers decided to meet in one of the empty rooms. Charles is not here; he didn’t want to leave Seb’s side. In Room 238, Nicholas looks out of the window, watching people and birds outside. Kimi clears his throat, making everyone to look at him.

“So? Any news?”

“Charles is getting better, mentally. He barely cries and speaks confident. But Seb doesn’t get better.”, Nicholas answers.

“Yeah, but better than getting worse, isn’t it?”, Valtteri says.

“No. He needs to start healing, his body gets weaker day by day and the possibility to wake up from coma fades away.”, the Williams driver explains.

“Same counts for Esteban, but his counters get worse. They don’t know wat to do, from tomorrow on he’ll get some different medicine. Maybe it can help.”, Daniel adds.

Kimi nods numbly without looking up.

“What about Antonio?”, Carlos wants to know.

“Getting better. They expect him to wake up the next days. Alex no longer has to be artificially ventilated. Later, they’ll see if George also can breathe on his own. All in all, they’re doing good.”

“That’s great to hear. Lewis is better either, Romain and Kevin have the same data since day one, but are not in danger. Kevin’s broken right arm will take a bit more time than thought.”, Valtteri tells them.

“Lance’s leg has nearly fully recovered. We’re only worried about Checo, one day he’s in a good shape, the next day not. It’s a roller coaster.”, Carlos follows.

“And Lando?”, Daniel turns to him now.

“This morning he finally had better counters. It’s a little positivity, which I hope will continue and not go back.”, the Spaniard continues.

“I’m glad. Max is okay. Not good but also not bad. Daniil doesn’t need to be artificially ventilated anymore, like George and Alex. Sadly, Pierre’s status got pretty worse. They don’t know the reason, because the first two or three days it looked good. I hope this process stops as soon as possible, they said that his body is too weak to handle something like a collapse.”, Daniel finishes their report.

Silence again. Nicholas draws his attention back to the nature outside. He’s relieved that George and Alex are doing well but also worried about Esteban and Pierre. And of course, Sebastian. Kimi clears his throat once more.

“Okay then…I’ll go out for a walk.”

“Can I join you?”, the Canadian asks.

“Sure.”

They leave together. Carlos looks at his two remaining friends.

“I mean I knew Kimi is actually a soft person, but he never showed it to someone else than Antonio and Seb.”

“I know. It’s not that I don’t mind it, it’s just confusing.”, Daniel agrees.

“Well, he knows we sit in the same boat. We need our each other’s help and support.”, Valtteri murmurs.

“As I said to you before, Catastrophes change people.”, the McLaren driver reminds.

“Yes, and I agree totally. I’ll go back to Lewis, see you later.”

Only Daniel and Carlos left.

“What about you, Dan? Are you okay?”

The brown Spanish eyes are fixing him, trying to read his mind. But the Australian smiles and nods.

“Yeah, I’m okay. We’ll make it, I’m convinced. We’re strong.”

“Okay but if you need something, talk to us.”

“I will.”

“Good. I’m with Lando.”

Daniel sighs. His body feels numb. Exhausted. With a silent tear, he goes to Esteban.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this is not good, but I needed a fill chapter for avoiding an abrupt chapter transition. The next one will be longer, promise! :)


	4. One Falls, One Rises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even the strongest have a weak point, but not everything is getting worse...

He hopes for any relief. Which he doesn’t get. It only gets harder. The burden he carries gets too much but he won’t admit it. He’s Daniel. Daniel Ricciardo. The smiling and happy driver, cheering up everyone, caring about others. He should be able to handle this, he’s supposed to handle this. But he can’t. Max’s status doesn’t want to change, Esteban gets worse from day to day, almost hour to hour. Daniel is about to lose two important people in his life, he feels how the hope and time are running through his fingers, unstoppable. Still, he takes care of them with a smile. He looks after his other friends. Charles is back in his mental stable shape, the best achievement so far. Although Sebastian’s body gets weaker, he is now able to handle this on his own. Nicholas looks more often after George and Alex instead now.

_I’m going under and this time I fear there’s no one to save me  
This all or nothing really got driving me crazy  
I need somebody to heal  
Somebody to know  
Somebody have  
Somebody to hold_

He’s lost in the darkness, the music like a never ending way. The hope has left him long time ago. They won’t come back. They’ll die. Right in front of him and he can’t do anything against it. He can’t save them; he can’t talk to them. They’ll leave hi without a single word.

“Maxy…”, he cries quietly, “…I love you…Daniel loves you Baby. Dan loves you so much. I’m here, I’m here my angel.”

It’s ironic that he isn’t even in his boyfriend’s room. In the bed in front of him lays his French teammate. Skin pale, body slimmer than ever before, body extremely weak. He already looks dead.

“Esteban…it’s alright, I’m here. Daniel is b< your side, I won’t leave.”

But his words sound like nothing. A poor promise. Daniel sinks to the ground, unable to stand any longer on his feet. He wants to give up. Wants to throw everything away. Wants to scream. But he does nothing, just holding them as his own life depends on it. Everything hurts, physically and mentally. His heart, his head, his soul, his stomach…everything. He doesn’t know what to do. Suddenly, a lump in his throat blocks his longue. He can’t breathe properly. He sees Esteban laughing, hears Max’s cute voice, feels his touch burning on his skin. It’s too much. He can’t handle this anymore…

\----------

Day 10. 3am in the morning. Nicholas can’t sleep. The buzzing instruments in the room run in the background. Charles sleeps peacefully in his bed. Silently, the Canadian gets up. He’ll look after George and Alex. Carefully, he knocks at room 236.

“Yeah?”

So, Kimi is still awake.

“Hey. It’s me.”

Nicholas locks the door and walks to his teammate. He has gotten better, same counts for his Thai boyfriend.

“They’re alright.”, the Iceman nods.

“I’m glad to see this. What about Antonio?”

“Same here. He isn’t cold anymore and even his skin has a bit more colour.”

“That’s great.”

Nicholas stays next to the Finn. He feels it. The tension. The sadness. The confusion.

“Kimi?”

“Yes?”

“You wanna talk about something?”

He stays silent. Knowing too well he can’t avoid this conversation any longer. The Williams has checked on him permanently, like he knows that something is bothering him. Kimi inhales deep and shakily.

“Indeed…I want.”

“Go on.”

Nicholas waits. Patiently. Watching the Finnian collecting his thought and words.

“I know Tonio will be fine. He’ll wake up and everything is gonna be alright. But to be honest…I never felt like that before. It could’ve been possible to see him dying right in my arms. This thought is killing me, hunting me. I have nightmares. Never knew he’s this important to me…”

“We are all learning new things. Recognizing who’s important to us. It’s okay to feel like this.”

The Canadian runs his hand over the elder’s back.

“Have you ever been in love, Nicholas?”

It’s a question out of the blue.

“One time.”

“What do you think is love?”

“Something unexpected. We can’t prepare ourselves for it. You can’t find the right person. You’ll only feel it.”

Kimi nods and sighs. It’s unspoken. Still, both know it.

“He’ll wake up.”, Nicholas continues, “If you want to talk to him, do it. Better than regretting it later. You can’t know when your next chance will come.”

The Finnian nods once more. His shoulders drop in relief, the burden is gone. He is a man of few words, but talking about fears and feelings isn’t that bad actually.

“What about you? Are you okay?”

The Williams driver shrugs with his shoulders.

“To be honest, I don’t know. Charles is okay, Seb not. George and Alex are getting better, Daniel seems to push himself too hard. Additionally, Esteban’s shape is the worst. I don’t know what to do, I kinda feel useless.

“You’re not, you’re helping very good. Why don’t you try to talk to Daniel? If Charles doesn’t need your help anymore, you could help him a bit with Esteban. I also have the feeling he tries to handle too much.”

Kimi looks up to him encouragingly and Nicholas nods.

“That’s a good idea. Thanks Kimi.”

“I’m the one thanking you. Speaking about feelings is kinda okay I guess.”

“Just reach out to me in case I can do something. I’ll go find Daniel, try to get some sleep.”

“I will. See you.”

“See you later.”

As the Canadian has left, the Finnian can’t prevent a smile.

“Good Night, Tonio.”

He gives him a forehead kiss and with a yawn, he falls into his bed tiringly.

\----------

The world around him shudders. The air in his lounges is gone. He feels the cold rising in his body. He chokes. There’s nothing to hold him…

“Calm down, Daniel. I’m here.”

IA warm hand caresses over his back. The Australian gasps for air and finally he can breathe again. He opens his eyes and looks around in panic.

“Nicholas!”

He’s so glad that his friend is here, he throws himself into his arms.

“I’m here, it’s okay. I got you.”

Daniel nods and starts crying. Long minutes passes. Until there’s no strength left. Nicholas pulls slightly away.

“It’s alright, I got you. What happened?”

“I- I don’t know…”

“Get up first and sit on a bed. I’ll get you something to drink.”

Daniel does and a minutes later, Nicholas comes back with a glass of water.

“Here.”

The Canadian drops down next to the Renault Driver and looks at him worriedly. Daniel finishes and collect his thoughts before he starts.

“I don’t know, everything is too much currently. I have no clue what to do. My friends are in danger and I can’t help them. Especially Max. Or Esteban or Sebastian. I want to help but can’t. What if they die right in front of my eyes…I couldn’t handle it.”

“They won’t die. Daniel, you’re pushing yourself way too hard. You need to stop; you need to rest. You’re done with your nerves. It’s not good for you, mentally _and_ physically. I understand that you barely have hope…it’s the same for all of us. But you don’t have to handle this on your own.”

“I know…but I feel responsible for Max and Esteban. I want, I need to check on them.”

“Let me help you.”

“How?”

“Charles is okay by now, he’s fine alone. I can take care of Esteban. Please, let me do it. Meanwhile, you can concentrate on Max and find some sleep. Your body will be grateful for it.”

The Aussie inhales shakingly but nods. Nicholas is right. He wanted too much. They’re sitting in the same sinking boat, being selfish is not the right solution.

“Please take good care of him. I know you two get along with each other, he told me about last year.”

“I will, don’t worry. Go back to Max and sleep.”

“Thank you so much Nicky.”

Both get up together and Daniel pulls the taller man into a tight hug. He gained some strength back; the pain fell from his body. It’ll be alright.

“I’m always here for you.”

With a last cheerful look Daniel heads back to his boyfriend.

“Hey Baby. Dan won’t leave again. I got some help. Esteban is in good hands now. I love you my little Angel, get well soon okay? Daniel is waiting for you.”

\----------

The day is there. Sun shines through the windows. Daniel strokes the Dutch’s hand, lost in his thoughts. The talk with Nicholas is still stuck in his head. Someone knocks.

“Dan?”

Speaking of the devil.

“Nicky! Good Morning!”

“Morning. Were you able to get some sleep?”

“Yes, thanks again for your help. Why are you here?”

“No problem. Someone is waiting in room 238.”

Confused, Daniel gets up. He expects the Canadian to follow him, but with a wink he disappears in Esteban’s room. The Australian opens the door and freezes to the ground. His jaw drops. There stands a man, around his high, blonde hair. A too familiar face turns to him.

“Dan.”

“N-nico?!”

Daniel closes the door. He’s still paralyzed.

“W-what are you doing here?”

“Nicholas called me. I’m currently near here and heard about the accident. He asked me to come over because you’re not feeling good. How can I reject this?”

His old friend smiles and open his arms. The Renault driver doesn’t hesitate and hugs the other. They always understood each other without t words. Nico always caught him, he even helped him to get together with max. They’re friends for a long time now and nothing could tear them apart. The Aussie lets himself go, crying a bit into his friend’s shoulder. Nico pats his back and waits until he has finished.

“You wanna talk about something specific?”

“Honestly, no. I already talked with Nicholas. But I’m happy that you’re here.”

“Always for you mate. How are the other’s?”

Daniel gives shim an update. The German’s eyes change as he hears about Esteban.

“Can I go see him?”

“Sure. Room 232, I’ll go to the toilet quickly.”

The Former Driver nods and goes ahead. The room is empty apart from the patient, the Williams Driver seems to be somewhere else. Nico stands next to the bed, looking down with regret.

“Sorry that I insulted you secretly for taking away my seat. I watched the first races and I’m sure you can catch up with the others soon…of course, for this you need to recover fully. Don’t give up, yeah? I still need to apologize in person…”

“I’m sure he’ll forgive you.”

Daniel stands in the doorway.

“Sure?”

“He was never mad at you actually, because he understands it too well. You two will get along with each other good, I’m sure.”

They don’t say it out loud…the fear that this will never happen. Nicholas enters as the third one.

“He still hasn’t gotten better…this evening, they’ll take him out for some more complicate checks. Hopefully, they can find a solution.”

He’s worried. Although he wouldn’t consider them as friends, Esteban is a nice guy and he likes him. Always friendly, gentle and smiling.

“We have to wait.”, Nico sighs.

“I’ll go back to Max. Coming with me buddy? Maybe we can go for a walk later.”

“Sure.”

The two friends leave and Nicholas drops next to Esteban.

“What am I supposed to do with you, huh?”

\--------

Day 10 comes to an end. The moon is already shining and Kimi gets kinda lost in the pale blue light. He hasn’t left the room all day, thinking about Nicholas’ words.

“You better wake up as soon as possible.”, he mumbles and grabs Antonio’s hand.

It’s warm, not cold anymore. The Iceman gets tired and after a while, his head falls forward.

At first, he doesn’t know where he is. His head buzzes and he can’t see a thing. Just slowly, his eyes get used to the darkness. What happened? Where is he? The last thing he can remember…he got into his car…the race started…everything was alright…until a car appeared in front of him. That’s it. He had a crash. So probably he’s in the hospital right now. Antonio feels too weak to move. But he feels a weight on his right leg. Looking down, his heart bursts into a million of pieces. Kimi lays there sleeping, holding his hand. God, he looks adorable. But what happened exactly? It seems to be night. What date do they have today? How long slept he? Too many questions. With a lot of afford, Antonio can move his leg.

“Kimi.”

His voice sounds hoarse and quiet. He tries it again and again.

“Kimi. Hey. Kimi. Wake up. Kimi!”

Finally, the Iceman lifts his head. After rubbing his eyes, he looks around confused. He thinks he just heard his friend’s voice but-

“An- uhm-”

The Italian smiles weakly.

“Hey.”

He’s awake, yeah? This is real, isn’t it? Or just a dream? Kimi tries to fin the right words, but his jaw just drops and his eyes widen.

“You- you’re awake.”

“Looks like it, yeah.”

It’s pretty awkward. Both don’t know what to say or how to act. The Finnian knew that is friend will wake up but now it happened and it feels unreal.

“How…how are you?”

Antonio never heard his teammate speaking this quiet.

“I’m okay, I guess. My head just hurts and I can’t move.”

“Should I get you a painkiller?”

“That would be really nice.”

Quickly, Kimi goes into the bathroom and comes back with a glass of water and a pill.

“Here.”

Gently, he pushes it through the Italian’s lips and helps him holding the glass.

“Thank you, Kimi.”

“You’re welcome.”

He sits back on the edge of the be and doesn’t tear his eyes off of his friend.

“How long have I slept?”

“Day 11 already started.”

“Almost two weeks?!”

“Yeah…and you’re the first one awake.”

Kimi starts telling him every little detail. And although they’ve spent a lot of time together, even Antonio never heard him talking this much. After 20 minutes, the Finnian finishes.

“Now you know everything.”

Unintentionally, he has grabbed the youngers hand again, who doesn’t mind it at all and just squeezed it from time to time.

“You all suffered a lot…I hope the others get well soon.”

“I hope so too.”

“But I have a question.”

“Mhh?”

“Since when do you care that much about the others?”

Kimi sighs and shrugs with his shoulders.

“I just do. I don’t want anyone to die and they also helped me when I didn’t feel good, especially Nicholas. They’re all kind and I want to go back to normal one day.”

“I understand. I’m kinda happy to see you like this.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a really cute side of you.”

The Iceman rolls with his eyes but smiles. He never felt this close to his friend.

“You should sleep a bit; your body is still weak.”

“Will you stay here?”

“Of course.”

“Have you suffered a lot?”

Kimi is not sure if he should tell his mate the truth, but on the other hand he remembers Nicholas’ words.

_If you want to talk to him, do it. Better than regretting it later. You can’t know when your next chance will come._

“Well…kind of, yeah. I was really afraid to lose you actually.”

“Now I’m here.”, Antonio smiles weakly.

He can barely keep his eyes open, still too tired and weak. But seeing his friend so close gives him enormous confident.

“I missed you, Tonio.”, the older finally confessed.

“Now you don’t have to anymore. Kimi, can you move a bit closer? Need to tell you something.”

The man leans over, their faces just a few inches apart. The Italian collects all strength in his body and moves a bit forward. He presses a soft kiss against the other’s lips, who’s head turns red immediately.

“Before I regret not having done this.”

“idiot.”

Antonio can only chuckles before he drifts back into a light sleep. Kimi stays by his side, caressing the big hand, stroking the brown hair from time to time, and pressing soft kisses all over the face.

“I love you, you idiotic Italian.”, he mumbles softly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a longer chapter! Took me a bit but I hope you enjoyed it!


	5. Keep Believing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you keep believing, good things will come. And hopefully, they can be happy again soon...

The message of Antonio being awake sends hope into the empty and lonely rooms. After two more days in bed, he started working on walking. He needs to do a lot of exercises and Kimi doesn’t leave his side for a single second. He follows him to training session, meetings with the doctors and always pushes the wheelchair.

“Hold my hand.”

Antonio accepts the offer happily and takes it. They’re doing walk exercises in the room as Daniel and Nico enter.

“Nico! Thought you went back to Monaco?”

“No, my plane will take off tomorrow morning. I wanted to say goodbye. How are you?”

“It’s getting better, I can stand on my feet alone already. It’s hard but it’s okay.”

The German looks over to Alex and George.

“Help me.”, Daniel says.

“With what?”

“Let’s close the distance.”

“What, why?”

“I promised it. I can’t see them separated anymore.”

Nico nods and together they carefully push the beds together.

“Okay like this?”

“Perfect.”

Kimi watches the whole scenario without saying something. Instead, he still holds his teammate tightly to prevent him from falling.

“Take good care of you guys.”, Nico turns to them.

“You too. Wish you a good flight.”, the Iceman finally breaks his silence.

“Thank you, Kimi. Bye Antonio.”

The friends leave and the Italian wraps his arm tightly around the other driver from behind.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. Just realized how nice Nico actually is.”

“This whole situation really did something to you.”, the tall man chuckles.

Kimi just shrugs his shoulders and presses a tiny kiss on the other’s cheek.

\----------

What a wonderful morning. The Sun is shining, some birds are chirping outside. But as Daniil wants to stretch, pain hits his whole body.

“Ouch!”

Every single muscle arches. Now he recognizes that he’s not at home. Not in his bed. He’s in a hospital. Slowly, very slowly, he sits up and rubs his head. Why is he here? A loud bang makes him shrug. Daniel stands in the door way, a tablet in front of him on the ground, together with a broken glass, a broken plate and food. He looks at him shock.

“DANIIL!”

The Russian still doesn’t know what’s going on, but Daniel is already by his side and hugs him tightly.

“Dan- I’m happy to see you too, but please let me alive.”

The Aussie pulls away and looks at him with tears in his eyes.

“Dany. Dany, are you okay?”

“Y-yeah, just my whole body hurts. What hap-”

But someone else catches his attention. Pierre lays in the bed next to him. Artificially ventilated. Surrounded my devices.

“No- Pierre!”

He wants to get up. He needs to touch him. But Daniel holds him in place.

“Dany.”

“No! Pierre!”

“Dany! Stay in bed, your body is too weak, you’ll hurt yourself!”

“What happened?!”

“Stay calm! I’ll explain it but you need to calm down!”

The squeeze of his shoulder and these eyes full of fear make Daniil realize how serious this is. He falls backwards against the pillows.

“What happened? Why are we here?”, he points at Max, Pierre, Daniel and then at himself.

And Daniel explains. Every single detail. Of the crash. How the others are. How their state changed over the time. Daniil listens. It’s hard to hear this.

“I- woah that sounds like a movie.”

“I know and I wish it would be, but it’s harsh reality. I’m sorry…”

“Will Pierre be okay?”

Daniel swallows.

“They…they don’t know…”

The Russian’s eyes widen. No. He can’t lose him. He loses a few tears, hands clenching the sheets.

“He can’t…”

“He won’t die, I believe in it. We have to be patient. He’ll come back, just like you and Antonio. And all the others. We’ll get through this. Together.”

Daniil nods and squeezes the hand which is holding his. He’s right. They have to be strong now.

\----------

Carlos flinches and looks up. It’s dark around him. He knows where he is, it’s been their home for almost three weeks now. He fell asleep on Lando’s lap. He turns to the boy and sighs sadly. The data of his boyfriend haven’t gotten better since the little positive change.

“Stay strong Cabrón. I know you can make it.”

An alarm makes his head turn to Checo. No. Fuck no. Nonono! He immediately presses a little emergency button. Two nurses come.

“What happened?”

“I don’t know, the alarm suddenly started.”

Valtteri storms in.

“Carlos!”

The Spaniard looks to him with fear.

“Valtteri…”

The Finn walks over and pulls him into a hug. A doctor joins, minutes of fast talking and different noises follows. Carlos buries his head into the other’s neck as deep as possible. His whole body shakes.

“It’s okay, we got him, we got him. He’s out of danger.”

The two friends look at each other and then to the doctor.

“His blood pressure dropped rapidly. That’s why the instruments struck. Tomorrow, we’ll start with a new and promising treatment, we’re sure that this will finally help Checo to recover.”

Both nod and are left alone. Valtteri guides Carlos to the free bed and gets him something to drink.

“Here. It’s alright now.”

“Thank you…”

They stay silent. Just Valtteri patting his friend’s back.

“You need a break, Carlos. Go outside.”

“I was.”

“Yeah, for literally five minutes. Why don’t you go with Kimi and Antonio tomorrow? Tonio is able to walk longer distance now, it’ll help you to get a free mind.”

“And Lando?”

“He’ll be fine, I’ll have an eye on him. But I won’t let you sit inside a whole day again.”

The Spaniard gives up.

“You’re right, I’ll go with Kimi and Tonio tomorrow.”

“Good. Now try to go back to sleep.”

Valtteri stays by his side, until he falls asleep. The Mercedes Driver sighs and runs his hand through the dark curly hair.

“It’ll help you, trust me. You’re strong, but don’t forget to take care of yourself.”

\----------

The next morning. Daniil being awake too gives everyone more strength. Carlos stands currently at the edge of his former teammate’s bed.

“Good to know you being alright.”

“Yeah, me too. Luckily, I don’t have any further serious injuries and can start with practice and training tomorrow. You’ll see, I’ll stand on my feet sooner than you think!”

Daniel laughs and punches his shoulder.

“But don’t push too hard, you hero.”

“I am a hero!”

“No, you’re a torpedo.”, Carlos grins.

It feels good to relax a bit and laugh with friends. Valtteri was right, he needs to leave the hospital for more than only a few minutes. It’s early in the morning, 8am of Day 20, as he enters room 236. Antonio and Kimi are ready.

“Carlos, could you take the wheel chair with you, in case Tonio can’t walk anymore?”

“Yeah sure.”

The fresh air filling their lunges feels so good. Kimi talks more than he ever did before, Carlos is amazed by it.

“Woah, Kimi, since when are you this talkative?”

“Since he doesn’t want to regret to not have said something.”, Antonio chuckles.

The older driver pinches his side and the Italian squeaks.

“Thought I’m too old to change, but it’s never to late to be different. And this accident made me realize how important you guys actually are.”

“Wow, emotional words from our Iceman. But can’t disagree, I like everyone on the current grid. It feels like a big family.”

“Yeah and Kimi is the grandpa.”

“Your Italian mouth can’t shut up, can it?”

“I’m sure it can, but I don’t want to!”

You can feel how happy Antonio is to be alive. He’s probably the happiest one. Although…no. Someone is happier. The coolest person on the grid is currently looking at his boyfriend with the softest smile you’ll ever see in your life.


	6. Growing Group

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're growing. Slowly. Hopefully it doesn't get destroyed by something bad...

Alex yawns and stretches. The sun is shining bright through the open windows. He turns around and spoons George from behind, who groans lowly.

“Good Morning.”, the Brit mumbles.

“Morning Baby. How was your night?”

“Perfect.”

The couple cuddles closer and enjoys the near of each other.

“OH MY GOD!”

Alex and George sit straight. In the door, they spot Kimi, Antonio and Carlos. The one who shouted was the Finn.

“Alex! George!”

The two doesn’t know what’s happening, as the oldest was over and pulls them both into a tight hug. Daniel and Valtteri spurt over, followed by Nicholas and even Charles.

“Alex! Alex, George! Guys!”

Charles stumbles over to pull them close. Kimi lets go and tries to sort his thoughts. The rest stands in the doorway, too overwhelmed by the situation.

“What- guys- where- how-”

The young Thai realizes slowly that they’re in a hospital room. He takes George hand and their eyes meet in confusion.

“Well- you were in coma for almost three weeks.”

“We- what?”, the Brit drops his jaw.

It takes a while to explain everything. Alex and George slowly procedure and some memories come back.

“Woah…oh my god, horrible…”, the young RedBull driver shakes his head.

Charles squeezes George’s hand and nods. Some nurses enter the room to check on their friends. Step by step, everyone leaves, until only Carlos, Antonio and Kimi are left.

“Thank you for taking me outside today. It really helped me to get my mind free.”

“Sure. We need to help each other.”

“How is Lando?”, the Williams driver wants to know.”

“Not good but also not bad. Still waiting that his healing starts.”

“Take good care of him please…”

“Of course, I will, don’t worry.”

Carlos ruffles George’s hair before he leaves to Lando’s room. Kimi helps them to get more comfortable in their beds. He cares about them. He promised Daniel to have an eye on them. He won’t break it.

\----------

Night of Day 22. Carlos can’t sleep and decides to check on one of his friends. In Room 235 he finds Valtteri.

“Val.”

The Finn turns around and smiles.

“Oh. Carlos. Can’t sleep?”

“No.”

The Spaniard sits down next to him. The moon shines through the window.

“How are you?”

“Good.”

“You’re not.”

He nods.

“Yeah. I’m not.”

“Why are you lying then?”

“Because I don’t wanna feel weak.”

“Idiot. You helped me. It’s my turn now.”

Valtteri looks up and meets brown eyes. He knows Carlos is here. Silently, he allows himself to cry, lets Carlos hugging him.

“I’m so afraid to lose him…he means so much to me, I couldn’t handle it without him…he’s so much more than just a teammate or a friend…he…I…”

“You love him.”

The Finn bites his lips and sighs.

“Yeah. More than I ever loved someone before him.”

“Does he know it?”

“I planned to talk to him…but then, this happened…”

“He’ll come back. He’s a fighter. You’re important to him, I know this, we all know and see it. He can be so freaking selfish, but he never put himself above you.”

“It’s just so hard to look at him.”

“I understand. We’ll make it. You’re not alone.”

“Yeah…”

“You need to sleep, Val. Please. Come.”

Carlos pulls him up and leads him to the free bed. The Mercedes driver yawns and closes his eyes sleepily. Carlos caresses his blonde hair until he falls asleep. The Spaniard smiles.

“You taught me so much, don’t forget your own words. Idiot.”

He gets up and walks over to the Haas Drivers. He almost feels bad for not checking on them more often. It’s so hard to be there for everyone. He takes a look at their data, seems to be okay.

“Come on you two. You can do it. We’re here. You’re not alone.”

\----------

Meeting time in Room 236. This time everyone is here. Daniil joined in a wheel chair, even Charles is here. Only Carlos is missing, he said he’ll go to the toilet first.

“Okay, just to check. In coma are Sebastian, Esteban, Checo, Lance, Romain, Kevin, Max, Pierre, Lando and Lewis?”, Nicholas asks.

“Yes.”, Daniel conforms.

“How are they?”

“Lewis, Romain and Kevin are okay. The heal step by step, just waiting for them to wake up. No serious injuries anymore.”, Valtteri informs, “After Checo had a down he finally gets better and Lance has also recovered 100%. He’ll wake up soon.”

“Max is also getting better. They’re unsure about Pierre, some data don’t look good but it’s possible that he’ll wake up the next days.”, Daniel follows.

Daniil stays quiet. He still hasn’t fully realized how serious his mate’s status is.

“Esteban?”, Kimi quickly asks.

“Horrible…they don’t know what to do anymore, nothing helps. He gets slimmer and slimmer, his heart beat sinks and he’s pale like a corpse.”, Nicholas mumbles sad.

“And…Seb?”, the Finn asks with hope.

“Still hasn’t changed. He’s almost too weak…”, Charles swallows.

It gets quiet. The fear hangs in the room, air getting too thick to breathe. Suddenly, the door gets opened with a punch. Carlos is there, panting.

“He is awake! He- he is awake! Lando!”

\----------

Carlos really needs to pee before he goes to the meeting. He splashes cold water into his face and wants to leave the room, as he nears a weird noise behind him. As he turns around, Lando rubs his eyes and looks around confused.

“Where am I…?”, he murmurs.

The Spaniard drops his phone in his hand. The sound makes the Brit to look up. He looks more like he just woke up from a too long nap.

“Oh. Carlos. What time is it?”

“Cabrón…Cabrón!”

He stumbles to the bed and pulls his boyfriend into a tight hug. Lando is too confused to react.

“Carlos…what happened? My body hurts, heck what is this…”

“You- can you remember anything?”

Their eyes meet. And suddenly, the flashbacks are there. Lando remembers very detail, the car in front of him, the crash, the sound, the pain before…before he only sees black.

“I crashed…I crashed. And someone crashed into me. I- I’m in the hospital.”

“Oh my god, you’re here, you’re back, Cabrón, Baby…”, Carlos sighs shakingly.

He starts crying and places kisses all over his lover’s face, making him giggle.

“I’m here, Carlos. I’m so sorry for making you wait. I’m here now.”

\----------

Their group lowly grows. Daniil doesn’t need a wheel chair anymore. He mostly sits at Pierre’s side, holding his hand. Daniel can now fully concentrate on max, changing the bedsheets daily, reading or singing something for him. Alex and George are attending a training program, like Antonio. Valtteri goes for a 10 minutes walk daily now, taking Carlos and Lando with him. The Brit stills sits in a wheelchair, but also attends a special program. Charles’ and Nicholas’ day haven’t changed. They take care as good as they can, but everyone know they have to handle the most pressure. It’s early in the morning of Day 27, 5am. Daniel sleeps peacefully, Dany sits next to Pierre. He looks down at the French, smiling softly at him. Yesterday, they took of the air mask, no artificially ventilation anymore. He frowns. Daniil eyes widen. Slowly, like in slow-motion, Pierre opens his eyes and look around. Until he looks at the man next to him.

“P-pierre-”

“Where am I?”

“In the Hospital, you-”

“Who are you?”


End file.
